The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

PEVERIL OF THE PEAK. 675
said; " do not deny the charge, for yonder villain, once seen, is remembered
for ever. Down, down on your knees, George, and acknowledge that you
scarce publications, it will probably be a service to the reader to bring the most remarkable of them under
his eye, in a simultaneous point of view. -
Blood's father is reported to have been a blacksmith; but this was only a dispalaging mode of descrising a
person who had a concern in iron-works, and had thus acquired independence. He entered early in life into
the Civil War, served as a lieutenant in the Parliament forces, and was put by Henry Cromwell, Lord Deputy
of Irelald, into the commission of the peace, when he was scarcely two-and-twet.y. This onset in life decided
his political party for ever; and however unfit the principles of such a man rendered him for the society of
those who professed a rigidity of religion and morais, so useful was Blood's rapidity of invention, and so well
was he known, that he was held capable of framing with sagacity, and conducting with skill, the mnost desperate undertakings, and in a turbulent time, was allowed to associate with the non-jurors, who affected a
peculiar austerity of conduct and sentiments. In 1663, the Act of Settlement in Ireland, and the proceedings
thereupon, affected Blood deeply in his fortune, and from that moment lie appears to have nourished the most
inveterate hatred to the Duke of Ormnond, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whom he considered as the author
of the measures under which he suffered. There were at this time mlany malecontents of the same party
with himself, so that Lieutenant Blood, as the most daring among them, was able to put himself at the head
of a conspiracy which had for its purpose the exciting a general insurrection, and. as a preliminary step, the
surprising of the castle of Dublin. The means proposed for the last purpose, which was to be the prelude to
the rising, augured the desperation of the person by whom it was contrived, and yet might probably have succeeded from its very boldness. A declaration was drawn up by the hand of Blood himself, calling upon all
persons to take arms for the liberty of the subject, and the restoration of the Solemn League and Covenant.
For the surprise of the castle, it was provided, that several persons with petitions in their hands, were to
wait within the walls, as if they staid to present them to the Lord Lieutenant, while about fourscore of the
old daring disbanded soldiers were to remain on the outside, dressed like carpenters, smiths, shoemakers, anid
other ordinary mechanics. As soon as the Lord Lieutenant went in, a baker was to pass by the main guard
with a large basket of white bread on his back By making a false step he was to throw down his burden,
which might create a scramble among the soldiers, and offer the fourscore men before mentioned an opportunity of disarming them, while the others with petitions in their hands secured all within; and being once
master of the castle and the Duke of Ormond's person, they were to publish their declaration. But some of
the principal conspirators were apprehended about twelve hours before the time appointed for the execution
of the design, in which no less than seven members of the Honse of Commons (for the Parliament of Ireland
was then sitting) were concerned. Leckie. a minister, the brother-in-law of Blood, was with several others
tried, condemned, and executed. Blood effected his escape, but was still so much the object of public apprehension, that a rumour having arisen during Leckie's execution, that Major Blood was at hand with a party to
rescue the prisoner, every one of the guards, and the executioner himself, shifted for themselves, leaving
Leckie, with the halter about his neck, standing alone under the gall6ws: but as no rescue appeared, the
sheriff-officers returned to their duty, and tile criminal was executed.. leantime Blood retired among the
mountains of Ireland, where he herded alternately with fanatics and Papists, provided only they were discontented with the government.'Tllere were-few persons better acquainted with the intrigues of the time than
this active partisan, who was alternately Quaker, Anabaptist, or Cathsolic, but always a rebel, and revolutionist;
he shifted from place to place, and from kingdom to klingdom; became known to the Admiral de Ruyter, and
was the soul of every desperate plot.
In particular, about 1665, Mr. Blood was one of a revolutionary committee, or secret council, which continued its sittings, notwithstanding that government knew of Its meetings. For their security, they had about
thirty stout fellows posted round the place where they met in the nature of a corps de garde. It fell out, that
two of the members of the council, to save themselves, and perhaps for the sake of reward, betrayed all their
transactions to the nministry, which Mr. Blood soon suspected, and in a short time. got to the bottonm of the
whole affair. He appointed these two persons to meet him at a tavern in the city, where he had his guard
ready, who secured them without any noise, and carried them to a private place provided for the purpose,
where he called a kind of court-martial, before whom they were tried, found, guilty, and sentenced to be shot
two days after in the same place. When the time appointed camne, they were brought out, and all the necessary preparations made for putting the sentence in execution; and the poor men, seeing no hopes of escape,
disposed themselves to suffer as well as they could. At this critical juncture, Mr. Blood was graciously
pleased to grant them his pardon, and at the same time advised them to go to their new master, tell him all
that had happened, and request him, in the name of their old confederates, to be as favourable to such of
them as should at any time stand in need of his mercy. Whether these unfortunate people carried Mr. Blood's
osessage to the King, does not any where appear. It is however certain, that not long after the whole conspiracy was discovered; in consequence of which, on the 26th of April, 1666, Col. John Rathbone, and some
other officers of the late disbanded army, were tried and convicted at the Old Bailey for a plot to surprise the
Tower, and to kill General Monk.
After his concern with this desperate conclave, who were chiefly fanatics and Fifth-l-Monarchy men, Blood
exchanged the scene for Scotland, where he mingled among the Cameronians, and must have been a most
acceptable associate to John Balfour of Burley, or any other who joined the insurgents more out of spleen or
desire of plunder, than from religious motives. The writers of the sect seem to have thought his name a discredit, or perhaps did not know it; nevertheless, it is affirmed in a pamphlet-written by a person who seems
to have been well acquainted with the incidents of his life, that he shared the dangers of the defeat at Penltland Hills, 27th November, 1666, in which the Cameronians were totally routed. After the engagement, he
found his way again to Ireland, but was hunted out of Ulster by Lord Dungannon, who pursued him very
closely. On his return to England, he made'himself again notorious by an exploit, of which the very singular
particulars are contained in the pamphlet already mentioned.* T'he narrative runs as follows: — - Amnong
the persons apprehended for the late fanatic conspiracy, was one Captain Mason, a person for whom Mr. Blood
had a particular affection and friendship. This person was to be removed from Loeldon'to one of the northern
counlies, in order to his trial at the assizes; and to that intent was sent down with eight of the Duke's troops
to guard him, being reckoned to be a person bold and courageous. Mr. Blood having notice of this journey,
resolves by the way to rescue his friend. The prisoner and his guard went away in the morning, and Mr.
Blood having made choice of three more of his acquaintance, set forward the same day at night, without boots,
upon small horses, and their pistols in their trowsers, to prevent suspicion. But opportunities are not so
easily had, neither were all places convenient, so that the convoy and their prisoner were gone a good way
beyond Newark, before Mr. Blood and his friends had any scent of their prisoner. At one place, they set a
sentinel to watch his coming by; but whether it was out of fear, or that. the person was tired with a tedious
expectation, thei sentinel brought them no tidings either of the prisoner or his guard, insomuch that Mr. Blood
and his companions began to think their friend so far before them upon the road, that it would be in vain to
follow him. Yet not willing to give over an enterprise so generously undertaken, upon Mr. Blood's encouragenment, they rode on, though despairing of success, till finding it grow towards evenislg, and meeting with a
convenient inn upon the road, in a small village not far from Doncaster, they resolved to lie there all night,
and return for London the next morning. In that inn they had not sat long in a room next the street, condoling among themselves the ill success of such a tedious journey, and the misfortune of their friend, before
t Remarks on the Life of the famed Mr. Blood. London, 1680. Folio